physical security

SAINT-BRUNO-DE-MONTARVILLE, Quebec—A Chinese fire manufacturer plans to build a $30 million new plant in this city near Montreal next year. However, its plan to eventually target the U.S. market could face challenges, according to an industry analyst.

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Private equity firm Behrman Capital likes BECO Holding Company, a wholesale distributor of fire equipment based here, so much that it recently bought the company back after selling it four years ago.

ARLINGTON, Texas—Fortress Security, based here, expanded its reach into the Houston metro area this summer, drawn by a strong demand for its services, a slightly larger Houston market and a larger pool of technicians, said company founder and owner Jerrod Smith.

To survive, adapt. Those words have become an industry maxim of late. A similar sentiment holds true for those in the standards writing arena who strive to stay current with the technological arc of the industry.

The CP-01 Working Group, a special group of the SIA Intrusion Subcommittee, this week unveiled a false alarm reduction standard that includes definitions for remote devices and updated language, stemming from requests for interpretation from the last update of the standard, completed in 2010.

Called the ANSI/SIA CP-01-2014, the updated standard is intended for use by manufacturers in the design of control panels and alarm signal receivers, and for reference by security system installers, specifiers, central station operators and manufacturers of central station-related products.

“As technology continues to evolve, it is important that we keep this useful standard up to date with it,” Lou Fiore, chairman of the CP-01 Working Group, said in a prepared statement. “Increasingly, panels are being armed and disarmed using remote devices including smartphones and tablets, we thought it was time to address that in CP-01.”

Revisions to the CP-01 standard have been made over the past two decades in response to technological evolution in the sphere of false alarm reduction. According to a SIA statement, CP-01-compliant panels have been instrumental in reducing false alarms by as much as 90 percent, saving municipalities and responders time and money.

For the next few years, the updated standard will presumably be the measuring stick for due diligence as far as minimizing false alarms. But as anyone in the industry can attest, technological development is unpredictable, so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see this “keystone” CP-01 standard updated again in the next five years. As the industry adapts, so too must its best practices and standards.

YARMOUTH, Maine—The members of Security Systems News’ and Security Director News’ “20 under 40” classes of 2014 will be announced in October and honored at a special reception at TechSec Solutions, the premier conference dedicated to new and emerging security technology, conference organizers announced.

SAN DIEGO—The $3 million that Huntington Capital, a private equity firm based here, recently loaned to door-knocking company Envision Security marks Huntington’s first foray into the security space, but more such investments could be in its future.

DENVER—With 31 locations and 10,000 SKUs, Controlled Product Systems Group is one of the largest wholesale distributors of perimeter access control solutions in the U.S. and it now has a new owner, The Duchossois Group (TDG), a private investment company.

The Security Industry Association has long championed the value of public-private partnerships in the security industry, and a new annual honor given out by the association makes those advocacy efforts abundantly clear.

The Security Industry Association recently announced it will present the first annual Jay Hauhn Excellence in Partnerships Award at SIA Honors Night on Nov. 19, at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers in New York.

Howard, according to a statement from SIA, has been instrumental in forging a collaborative relationship between SIA and the International Security Management Association, a prominent end user organization. Cellucci is being honored for dedicating time to “building a relationship between SIA and the County Executives of America,” according to a SIA statement. He also helped encourage collaboration between SIA and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate.

The annual award is intended for individuals working with SIA member companies who “strengthened collaboration between the association and the industry or end user organizations,” the statement noted. Forms of collaboration could include efforts that pursue common public policy priorities, active involvement in the development of SIA standard proposals, spurring SIA membership growth and leveraging SIA’s educational expertise at conferences or through online education efforts.

“I’m pleased to receive this award, but I’m more pleased to help make vital connections between the security suppliers of SIA and the security practitioners of ISMA,” said Howard. “The alliance between the two organizations will go a long way toward keeping Chief Security Officers informed of advancements in technology as well as providing insights to corporate executives as to the challenges facing Chief Security Officers.”

SIA members possess valuable security industry expertise and experience, while public sector organizations are responsible for the development of detailed operational requirements to ensure the protection of our nation’s people and assets. It’s only reasonable that the public and private sectors work together—in and open and transparent way—to enable our country’s Homeland Security Enterprise to work more efficiently and effectively.”